The RB injury report for Week 6 does not make for that scary of reading for fantasy football managers. It has been a relatively quiet week in terms of NFL injury updates at the RB position, which will be music to the ears of fantasy managers. Let’s examine the latest injury updates and the fantasy implications of that news.
RB Injury Report Heading Into Week 6
Jonathan Taylor, IND | Ankle (Out)
Nyheim Hines, IND | Concussion (Out)
The Indianapolis Colts ruled out Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines on Saturday, having listed them as questionable on Friday. Taylor managed just two limited practices this week. While there was positive news last week when Taylor’s tests came back negative for a high-ankle sprain, he has now missed two games following the injury in Week 4.
Nyheim Hines had one more step left in the concussion protocol on Friday, but it appears he was unable to clear that step Saturday. With 10 days between the games, there was hope he would be able to play, but that was not to be the case.
With Taylor and Hines out, Phillip Lindsay and D’Vonte Price have been elevated from the practice squad. They will join Deon Jackson as the three backs who are active on game day. Both Lindsay and Jackson are intriguing as 14 and 16-team Flex options in what appears to be a favorable matchup against the Jaguars.
Damien Harris, NE | Hamstring (Out)
Given the reports at the start of the week that Damien Harris was set to miss some time, his listing as questionable was somewhat surprising for Week 6.
Harris was able to practice in a limited fashion all week and it allowed him to be a game-time decision against the Cleveland Browns. However, ultimately, Harris was listed among the Patriots’ Week 6 inactives.
MORE: Week 6 Fantasy Football RB Start/Sit Recommendations
With Harris out, then Rhamondre Stevenson is a must-start in all league sizes. Even if Harris has been active, it would be hard not to start Stevenson in a matchup against the Browns that has been extremely profitable for RBs in the past two weeks.
Cam Akers, LAR | Personal (Out)
Little was made of Cam Akers being listed as a non-participant on Thursday due to a personal issue. However, on Friday, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay stated that Akers will miss the Week 6 game against the Carolina Panthers.
When pressed on the matter, McVay stated, “We’re working through some different things right now.” That is extremely ambiguous, and the updates we receive will be somewhat limited for a couple of weeks, with the Rams on a bye in Week 7.
In Akers’ absence, Darrell Henderson becomes a Flex consideration in 12-team leagues.
Saquon Barkley, NYG | Shoulder (Cleared)
Despite remaining a limited participant in practice on Friday, RB Saquon Barkley will have no injury designation heading into Week 6. He should be safe to start as normal.
James Conner, ARI | Rib (Out)
Darrel Williams, ARI | Knee (Out)
Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury revealed on Friday that both James Conner and Darrel Williams will be out Sunday. This confirmed the report from PFN’s NFL Insider Aaron Wilson on Thursday, who stated that Conner could miss more than just Week 6. In the absence of both Conner and Williams, we could see Eno Benjamin as the lead back.
Benjamin played 54 percent of the snaps in Week 5 after he was left as the only active back. He finished the game with eight rushing attempts for 25 yards and a touchdown, with three receptions on four targets for 28 yards. He should handle the majority of the work in Week 6, but it would not be a surprise to see other backs split time with him.
The Cardinals have Keaontay Ingram listed on their roster, with Corey Clement and Ty’Son Williams on the practice squad. Clement will be elevated from the practice squad and will be active for Week 6.
In terms of fantasy value, this is a nice matchup for the Cardinals. They face the Seattle Seahawks, who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing RBs at 24.36 per week. Therefore, Benjamin should be a player that is in consideration to start in 12-team leagues. Ingram and Clement have little value as it is hard to project who will see enough work to have fantasy value.
Raheem Mostert, MIA | Knee (Active)
The questionable status of Raheem Mostert on Sunday was intriguing after he dealt with a knee injury this week. After being a non-participant on Wednesday, he was limited on both Thursday and Friday.
There did not seem to be a major concern over his status, and that was reflected in Mostert being active for the Dolphins in Week 6. Additionally, Myles Gaskin is inactive. That would suggest that Mostert should be playing with little limitations, as otherwise, the Dolphins would likely want Gaskin active.
Melvin Gordon III, DEN | Neck/Ribs (Questionable)
Mike Boone, DEN | Foot (Cleared)
In preparation for their Monday Night Football matchup with the Chargers, the Broncos got some good news on Friday and Saturday. While Melvin Gordon III was a limited participant all week, fellow RB Mike Boone was upgraded to a full participant on Friday and did not receive a game-day designation.
MORE: Week 6 RB Fantasy Football Rankings
Unfortunately, Gordon did receive the questionable tag, putting his fantasy managers into somewhat of a bind on Sunday. Do you risk Gordon in your lineup with no certainty he suits up, or do you look elsewhere and run the risk of missing out on a big day? That is an incredibly tough choice to make. A best-case scenario would be to have either Boone or Latavius Murray on your bench. In that scenario, if Gordon sits, you can at least salvage some value.
Alexander Mattison, MIN | Shoulder (Active)
After being limited all week in practice, Alexander Mattison entered the weekend listed as questionable. However, Minnesota Vikings’ head coach Kevin O’Connell thinks Mattison will be active on Sunday. That optimism was echoed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Sunday morning.
Mattison is active for Week 6, but his fantasy impact should be minimal. He largely plays second-fiddle to Dalvin Cook, and the potential of Mattison being limited provides a slight increase to Cook’s ceiling while also providing a more solid floor.
Justice Hill, BAL | Hamstring (Out)
There was some hope when Justice Hill returned to practice on Thursday that he might be able to be active in Week 6. However, he received the dreaded doubtful tag. Rarely do players listed as doubtful suit up on game day, and that proved to be the case when the inactives were announced.
In his absence, J.K. Dobbins does not really see a boost, as we saw Kenyan Drake, Mike Davis, and Devin Duvernay taking extra touches last week. Dobbins remains a low-end RB2 or Flex play in 12-team leagues. Drake and Davis have little fantasy value, while Duvernay is a 14-team Flex option with Rashod Bateman also out.